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Operation Containment
Operation Containment is an intensive, multi-national, law enforcement initiative that was congressionally mandated and is led
by DEA. It began in 2002 and was ongoing in 2003. It involves 19 countries from Central Asia, the Caucases, Europe, and
Russia. The goal is to implement a coordinated post-Taliban heroin counternarcotics strategy to deprive international terrorist
groups of some of their financial basis for their activities. While each country had unilaterally or jointly conducted similar
interdiction operations in the past targeting Afghanistan heroin transporters, Operation Containment is the first coordinated,
large-scale operation.
Working to diminish the availability of heroin and morphine base along the Balkan and Silk Road trafficking routes, the operation
focuses on interdiction at specific land, air, and sea border checkpoints, intelligence sharing, database connectivity, and
collective targeting of drug traffickers and organizations. The operation eliminates duplication of efforts and effectively
allocates limited counterdrug law enforcement resources throughout the region. The operation also targets other illicit commodities
such as precursor chemicals, weapons, ammunitions, and currency that could be used by terrorist organizations to
finance their operations.
Operation Containment also included re-opening the DEA office in Kabul, Afghanistan (which had been closed for security
reasons in 1980) and expanding existing offices in Asian and European cities. DEA’s communications intercept and intelligence
capabilities also grew in support of agencies conducting counterterrorism investigations in the United States.
Operation Containment continued into 2003, and has proven to be one of the most successful drug interdiction initiatives to be
undertaken on a multi-regional basis. During a mid-2002 blitz operation, 1,705 kilos of heroin were seized, with an estimated
value between US $28 million and US $51 million. Also seized were 5,329 kilos of marijuana, 355 kilos of opium, 2,013 poppy
plants, as well as significant amounts of cocaine, weapons, cigarettes, and amphetamines. The operation was responsible for
collecting much information on terrorist activities in the region.
Just as important, Operation Containment laid the groundwork for closer cooperation among the countries for future operations—the
mutual participation of 19 countries in a common operational and intelligence sharing action had not been undertaken
before. It is significant that the Russians and Chinese traveled to Turkey for operational planning, the Pakistanis and
Indians who were at conflict with one another put their differences aside, as did the Turks, Macedonians, and Greeks to achieve
the common goal of depriving violent terrorists of drug-derived funds.
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Left: Destruction of seized drugs
Above right: Concealed Heroin
Above left: Concealed marijuana
Below: Kyrgyz Customs checkpoint